CASTRIES, St Lucia, September 4th 2013 - The Leader of the Lucian People’s Movement (LPM), Therold Prudent, has called upon Saint Lucia’s foreign minister, Hon. Alva Baptiste to tone down his hateful and divisive political rhetoric towards the leader of the United Workers Party, Allen Chastanet, and members of the Saint Lucian media.
Speaking immediately after viewing a video of Hon. Alva Baptiste address to members of his party last weekend in Vieux Fort South, Prudent said, “Hon. Alva Baptiste insidious politics do not mesh with the important responsibility and position he holds as Saint Lucia’s external minster.”
Prudent continued, “ You cannot, on one hand, purport to represent the nation abroad and proclaim to the world a ‘unifying sentiments’ at home, while simultaneously, when in the presence of Labour party colleagues, behaving in a manner so inconsistent with the dignified temperament expected from a foreign minister.”
It is for this very reason that Prudent, reiterated the LPM’s earlier calls to Saint Lucian Prime Minister Kenny Anthony to consider restructuring the Ministries of Tourism and External Affairs.
According to Prudent, Saint Lucia might be better served if these ministries were not headed by elected officials. These two ministries, the LPM believes, are too important to the livelihood of the nation to be entrusted to the care of politicians with divided responsibilities and loyalties to constituents, party, and country.
“How can Hon. Alva Baptiste and the Labour Party government believe that they can wage an effective foreign policy on behalf of the country when the rest of the world, through the availability of social media, witnesses so-called dignified men behaving like political bullies and vagabonds towards their political adversaries?” said Prudent.
You can never effectively represent the interests of an entire nation abroad, if you consistently insult and belittle other citizens who find themselves at odds with your political persuasions.
Prudent also alluded to a statement by Hon. Alva Baptiste in which he mockingly proposed offering short-term employment through the government-backed charitable program called STEP to a particular journalist.
This alone, said Prudent, “revealed a lot about what the Labour Party truly believes about the plight of the poor and unemployed in the country.”
“Hon. Alva Baptiste and the Labour Party government are in dire need of a reality check—one that will eventually teach them the virtues of humility and reconfirm to them, that despite the apparent height of their positions, they are still servants of the Saint Lucian people.”
Prudent also questioned the silence of Hon. Alva Baptiste colleagues in the government, saying that their refusal to condemn his behaviour is no doubt an unspoken endorsement of a dangerous brand of politics.
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